Catalyst
by DeviantMoon908
Summary: What if instead of 2 years, Jak was locked away for 15 years. He becomes detached, hellbent on revenge against those who wronged him. He hears that Keira has died, leaving her daughter in his care. Shayera Hagai is an adorable, eccentric, and mechanical-savvy 15 year old. Try saving the world, stopping a maniac and a monster while raising a teen who doesn't know you're her father
1. Prologue

**A/N****: Hi! No, I'm not dead. Just lots and lots of stuff went down. My computer broke...again. Always a hardware problem! And I moved out! ****Brooklyn's kind of nuts. The first night this really drunk lady followed us inside and asked to us our bathroom. She had 2 bottles under her coat! Than on night three, this woman across the street goes insane, breaks her window with a bat, and than goes tries to hit police with riot shields! That's what's been going on in my life at the moment. **

**I haven't written in so long and I really wanted to start this and get something out. ****I've been working on it all day.**** This didn't turn out how I wanted it to. To be honest, I'll probably redo it at some point. Please don't yell at me and forgive any grammar mistakes! ****Constructive criticism is wanted/needed! This was just so rushed...**

**I own nothing! **

"**Say goodbye to gravity and say goodbye to death. Hello to eternity and live for every breath" The Wicker Man/Iron Maiden**

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><p><em>Rich emerald eyes that stood 2ft from the ground, scanned the large dark room. The only light the young child could see came from a thick green curtain. <em>

"_Mama?" she whispered, moving her little feet across the steel floor. _

_ Receiving no response, the little elf went further towards the light. Her stuffed flut-flut toy bounced and squeaked as it was dragged by the toddler. When she finally reached the green curtains and extended her small hands to open them, they were ripped apart. The light nearly blinded the 4 year old. A tall silhouette appeared and let out a gasp._

"_Shayera?" the lights went on, illuminating the garage. _

_ The silhouette was revealed to be a young woman with her own emerald eyes and aquamarine hair. No more than 21 years. Her expression donned surprise than a frown. Her hands tightfisted at her hips. _

"_Shayera, I thought I tucked you in 2 hours ago," the green eyed woman said in a firm voice._

_The little girl hugged her toy closer. Her eyes burned and watered. _

"_But I-I heard the alarms and people shouting again," _

_ The green eyed woman's eyes softened and she smiled kindly. She scooped the frightened child and her toy into her arms. She hummed a nameless tune and comforted her whimpering little elf. This was not the first time the extreme crushing paranoia of this city woke her child in the middle of the night. She sighed deeply. The memory of the ocean mist and green fields kept her breathing. _

"_Come on, Shay. You can stay with me tonight," The child relaxed in her mother's arms. The woman closed the thick green curtains and the lights in her garage. Her daughter fell asleep in arms on the trip up their apartment upstairs. _

_ The little girl slept contently by the woman's side, despite the blaring sirens throughout the city. The woman glared into space as a passing Hellcat cruiser's piercing lights turned her bedroom red. Nothing could be done about it... yet. She just needed more time. Tomorrow was another day. There would be a Class Two race.. A tiny bit more funding for The Underground. Every step was a little more progress. A little closer to home. _

But you can never go home again, can you?

_ The green eyed woman felt her eyes tear up. She cuddled her daughter and fell asleep, dreaming of the three of them together in Sandover. She silently prayed this gamble would be in her favor. That he would find her and succeed in the role that she was failing. Their fates were a coin toss._

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><p><span><strong>10 Years Later<strong>

What was time anyway? How many times had he been dragged down this same hallway? Burned and pierced over a hundred times. What was the touch of the wind like? The sound of water and trees? Misty colored memories. All that was real was the smoke and metal. And the torture. It felt as if hot live wires were swimming about in his blood, burning everything they touched. Constant relentless agony plagued his body and mind. His body numbed to the point of time ceasing to exist. How long had he been in this place? Days? Months? Minutes? Not hearing. Not seeing. Only this hell remained. Through the paralyzed senses, he was able to hear voices.

"_Dark Eco injection cycle complete. Bio readings nominal and unchanged" _

"Huh, nothing?! I was informed that this one might be different!" That voice. He knew that voice...

"He is surprisingly resistant to your experiments, Baron Praxis," Another familiar voice. "I fear the _Dark Warrior Program_ has failed,"

"Augh!" He felt more pain in his scalp, his head being held up. His eyes flickered open and shut, the bright light adding to his torment. "You should at least be dead with all the Dark Eco I pumped into you!" A shadow over his face.

Haze and smoke followed suit. There were still words and voices but all muffled and gray. He didn't remember any of it. Just the shadow and the smell of gunpowder in his face. What came next was unexpected.

"Ding! Ding! Third Floor! Body chains, roach food, torture devices!" He had dreams and memories of this high pitched voice. To hear it slowly brought him back from madness. He felt a weight on his chest.

"Hey, buddy, seen any heroes around here? Whoa! What'd they do to you?" The voice got closer. "Jak? It's me! Daxter!

Jak lifted his head to see something orange and fuzzy. His strength faltered for a second and his head fell back.

"That's a fine hello!" He felt the weight shift on his body. "I've been crawling around this place, risking my tail, (literally) to save you!"

Daxter? Oh yeah! His best friend since they were four. He came looking for him? To save him? That meant he would free. Be able to do whatever he wanted. He wouldn't have to sit bound by chains for hours anymore. At the mercy of those fucking sadists.

"I've been looking for you for 15 years! Say something! Just this once!" Daxter begged.

Something snapped.

"I'm gunna kill Praxis!" Jak's eyes pealed open, ignoring the pain from his eyes' sudden dilatation.

Daxter slapped a hand over his mouth, shushing him. He said some words but Jak couldn't make any of it out. Jak felt his vision go white as his body grew hot. All he felt was pure hatred and rage. He needed to find Erol and rip his throat out. A misty haze of raw feelings in his mind. His body was thrown forward, his restraints breaking with no effort. He felt the cold steel on his feet. He saw something moving before him. Basic instincts kicked in. See something. Kill it.

"Jak? It's your old pal, Daxter! Remember?"

"Daxter?" That same high pitched voice brought him back again. His flesh cooled and he could think and control his breathing again. When did he get out of the chair?

"What the HECK was that?" Daxter shouted. "Sheesh! Remind me not to piss you off," The orange mammal walked right past the tall one. "C'mon tall, dark and gruesome. Let's get outta here,"

Outside the fortress, they encountered an older man named Kor and young mute boy. For a moment, Jak's demon resurfaces during an assault by the Krimson Guards. Kor set his own fate in motion and sent Jak and Daxter to The Underground. Walking about, Jak took in the city and scowled in disgust. This city was a rotting pisshole. Decaying ancient buildings, depressed citizens, even the streets were shirty and uneven! Everything seem to make Jak's mood even darker. Daxter sat awkwardly on his friend's shoulder. There was a frightening scowl ever present on Jak's face. It was a harsh contrast considering that Daxter kept the image of happy young Jak in his mind.

"How much further?" Jak suddenly spoke up.

"Few more miles up ahead," Daxter answered after checking the GPS.

Jak rolled his eyes. Like hell would he take one more step. If he had to look at one more dirty creep, he'd go on a rampage. Zoomers were flying all over above them. Without remorse, Jak hopped onto a passing single passenger zoomer. He dropped the whimpering rightful of the zoomer to the ground and sped off.

"Jak!" Daxter screamed as he clung to Jak's shoulder armor for dear life. "You just highjacked that guy!"

"Where's the hideout?" Jak ignore his best friend's statement.

Daxter stabilized his balance and gave Jak a light glare. "Up ahead in that ally on the right!"

The rest everyone knows. Jak and Daxter made quick allies with Torn and The Underground. After a few quick missions escorting, destroying property, spying, and stealing, Torn assigned the dynamic duo a simple delivery mission into the Port. They were to bring an Underground informant his payment. Jak had a good time dispatching a few guards who got suspicious. When they arrived at the strip club/bar, they were shocked to find that the informant, Krew, was a ridiculously obese gang lord with connections. Jak did a few jobs for him, earning his trust.

Jak and Daxter walked into the Hiphog Heaven, having just finished their training at the Gun Course. Jak, the natural warrior that he was, mastered his new weapon very quickly. The Underground didn't need them at the moment. There was nothing else to do but do a few favors for Krew.

"Oh dear! How awful! Did she suffer? - No remains? How awful!" Krew's wheezing voice echoed throughout his bar.

"What's Blubber Nuggets' problem?" Daxter rolled his eyes when he saw Krew in 'despair'.

"Not sure. He's talkin' to some lawyer," Sig answered.

"D-Did she leave me anything? - What?! Nothing at all?" Krew practically growled. He shot a dark glance Jak's way than returned to his call. "Yes, yes. I will pass on the message. Thank you, my friend,"

"So what's eating you, Obese Reese?" Daxter piped up.

"A very important client of mine just passed away," Krew said sadly.

"Aww, sorry, man," Daxter said, sincerely.

"Yes and she didn't leave me a dime," The real reason why Krew was sad. "Oddly enough, her lawyer requested to meet you, Jak,"

"What? Why me?" Jak asked, not really interested.

"I don't understand myself. Her name was Keira Hagai. She lead the most successful racing team I have ever seen!" Krew said, his mood perking up a bit.

Jak felt his heart explode in his chest.

"No, not Keira!" Sig finally spoke. He seemed so shocked he fell back in his seat.

"Keira? It can't be! Jak!" Daxter said, frantically. "How's that possible?"

"It's so bizarre. She has named Jak her soul inheritor! Have you even met? She has never mentioned you before!" Krew's mood turned sour again. "Anyway Jak, her lawyer is Mr. Carter and he wishes to see you at-"

Jak didn't give Krew the chance to finish his sentence. He said nothing, grabbed the information for the lawyer's office and Daxter and ran out immediately. After 'borrowing' another zoomer, he was sped through the city. Going an insane 90 mph. This couldn't be real.

"Jak! Slow down!" Daxter cried out, terrified.

"Did you know she was here?" Jak snarled.

"What? No! Now, slow down!" Daxter screamed.

She was in Haven. Alive all this time. Jak never dared to think of her during his years in prison. It turned his stomach. He never wanted to tarnish his memories of her by constantly associating her with his time in prison. But she was dead now.

Jak didn't slow down until he reached the law firm at the Edge of the Bizzare. Carrying a limp Daxter, Jak barged into the office. The others in the waiting room squirmed in Jak's dark pretense.

"I'm here to see Carter,"

The 16 year old blonde receptionist stopped filing her pink nails. At first she scowled at the demanding man in front of her. Her scowl quickly turned into a flirty smirk. Before she could speak, Daxter got in her face.

"Hey, cutie. We just need to see the lawyer guy real quick," the orange rodent wriggled his eyebrows at the young girl.

Like nature intended, the receptionist ignored him. When she saw that Jak didn't even humor her obvious attempts at flirting. She simply point her thumb to the door. Jak mumbled a "thanks" and entered the office. The man sitting at the expensive desk was an older elf, slightly overweight, dark eyes that were sunken into his head, and salt and pepper hair. Without waiting for an introduction, Jak sat himself down rather loudly. The noise got the lawyer's attention. "Ah, you must be Jak. I wasn't expecting you so soon,"

"And I'm Daxter!" the ottsel hopped on the desk.

Jak folded his arms across his chest and glared at Carter. Daxter took the hint that his best buddy wanted this to be over as soon as possible. "We should get started,"

"What happened to Keira?" Jak bluntly demanded.

"Ms. Hagai was in a zoomer accident yesterday afternoon. She hit an eco tank. There were no remains...," Mr. Carter said, solemnly.

Things became so quiet. Jak heard his blood flow through his body as he sat there frozen in time. Carter continued to speak but Jak didn't hear a word. He didn't even notice Daxter vomit into the trash can.

"Right," Mr. Carter pulled out several sheets of paper and a pine box. "As you know, Ms. Hagai has named you the sole inheritor of all she possessed," He pushed them in Jak's direction.

"D-Did she leave me anything?" Daxter stepped forward.

After a brief shuffling through some files, Carter found a little something. "Ms. Hagai has left you a small fortune, but you'd have to check the bank. As of now, Jak holds all of her passwords and access to her accounts,"

Keira left them money? What was she doing all these years? Daxter searched everywhere but he only heard shadows and whispers of her. He heard that she had become pretty big in the racing circuits. If she was around all this time, why didn't she try to contact them? She was brilliant. She could have located them easily. He was sure all these questions were swimming around in Jak's head, but he didn't show it. He remained a rock as usual.

Jak inhaled deeply. He never imagined anything could hurt this much. He opened the pine box that held a few things from her. He sifted through and one thing caught his eye. "Dax?" he motioned the rodent over. Daxter hopped on his shoulder and made an obnoxious sound of surprise. In the dark elf's hands was a photograph of the three of them together in Sandover just before they went through the rift. Daxter was sitting atop the channeler's head while Keira was grinning like crazy with her signature wrench in her hand. Daxter almost found it hard to believe that it was them. They all looked so happy and it was so long ago. Daxter turned and saw the fifteen year difference. Jak's eyes were so dark and hard compared to the lighthearted eyes of the teenager in the picture. Would they ever regain their innocence?

Jak placed the photo back in the box. Daxter rummaged through the rest as Jak signed a few documents. "Was... there any last request she wanted me to take care of?"

"Just one," Mr. Carter leaned forward. "Her daughter,"

Jak's eyes snapped opened. "H-Her what?"

Daxter hopped onto the table. "Keira had a kid? No way!"

"W-What? I - Uh... She?" Jak was fumbling all over his words. How could he possibly form proper sentences in this situation?

"What's her name?" Carter interpreted. Jak nodded dumbly. "Her name is Shayera and she is fifteen years old,"

His thoughts were racing and in a span of one second, he asked himself all the questions that he already knew the answer to. Jak felt his entire body go numb. It only happened once. How could one time result in a pregnancy? He latched onto the chair's arm to prevent himself from falling to the floor. He didn't know how long he was staring into space, thinking nothing, when he saw Carter get out of his chair and walk over to door in the corner of the room. Jak miraculously found strength again and stood up. Daxter sat back and watched this all unfold. Sure, this was serious and shit but it was also refreshing to watch his best friend display emotions other than anger.

"W-Where are you going?" Jak's mouth hadn't closed in the past five minutes.

"I was going to introduce you to her," Carter said, plainly.

"You mean the daughter is here? Right now?"

"Yes, I managed to get her out of prison in time this morning,"

"What? She was in prison!?"

"It wasn't anything serious. She had a bit of a breakdown when she heard her mother died. She drank too much and assaulted a few Krimson Guards. She's a good girl though. You'll like her very much,"

"I can't handle this...," Jak ran his fingers through his hair in an effort to calm his raging nerves. "H-How do you even know she's mine? It's been years. Keira could have met someone else,"

Carter pulled out her birth certificate and pointed to the "father" box. There, in black and white, was Jak's name. "Keira claimed you were the only man in her life,"

Daxter, who was holding it in, finally released it. He burst out in a fit of hard laughter. Gripping his sides, tears, and all. "You knocked up Keira! Oh god! Her old man is going to kill you!"

"If you are still unconvinced, we can get have a DNA test. But from what I've seen," Carter said with a warm smile. "She's yours,"

Jak stood up and began to pace the room. He wasn't even paying attention to Daxter, who was still laughing at him.

"H-How the Hell am I supposed to face her?" Jak's voice's was sounded winded, like he was just running at full speed.

"Does she know Jak is her daddy?" Daxter finally said something of true value.

"I'll leave that honor to you," Carter pointed to Jak

"Are you insane? I just walk up to her and say "Hey, I've been away for fifteen years and I'm your dad"?"

"Perhaps she would happy. When she loses her mother, she gets her father back,"

Jak stared at the door as he continued to pace the room.

"Don't tell her about me... She's probably still upset... That age is so fragile...," He walked back and forth for a minute.

"Quit stalling and open the damn door, Jak!" Daxter barked.

Jak reached for the handle but couldn't bring himself to turn it. Was she really there? She had been so quiet. What is she heard them?! Jak held his breath and peeked through the key hole. His breathing started when he saw Keira's emerald eyes. It was like seeing a ghost. The green eyes on the other side narrowed. Not a second later the door was flung open.

"Carter! I've been in there for hours! I just want to go home!"


	2. Her Name Is Shayera

**A/**N**: ****Wow it has been months but that is what I do. I'm bipolar but instead of swinging moods it's swinging interest in meh stories. I hope it's good. I kinda wrote this in like half a day. My eye balls hurt from staring at this brightass computer screen. I hope you like it! ConCrit is always welcome/needed. Tell me what you think!**

**I own nothing! Please read and review**

"**Spark becomes a flame. Flame becomes a fire. Forge a blade to slay the stranger. Take whatever we desired" Tool/Intension**

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><p>Jak almost fell backwards on his ass when he saw her. He felt his heart stop for the millionth time that day. Everything about her screamed Keira. Her delicate face, her full lips in a tight line forming a pout, her composure, everything about her was just like Keira. She was a small 5'2, barely brushing his chest. Her fierce angry eyes were the same precious emerald as her mother's. When Jak observed her closer he noticed her odd sense of style. Her hair was long, reaching her mid back, dyed silver with black braided streaks throughout. The ensemble consisted of black platform boots, white shorts, a light blue translucent long shirt, and a white halter top underneath.<p>

"Ah, Shayera!" Carter greeted. "It was your mother's will that you be in this man's custody." He proudly placed his arm around the girl's shoulder.

Shayera narrowed her eyes and looked Jak up and down.

"What's you name, dude?" She continued to size him up with a long, hard stare.

"I-Ah – I'm Jak." Jak awkwardly held his right hand out.

Shayera stared at his outstretched hand and raised a brow. She rolled her eyes, stuck her nose in the air and walked away. Everyone in the room heard her mutter 'dork.'

"Shayera!" Carter gripped her arm and yanked her upright roughly. "Be careful how you talk to your-" Jak quickly realized what Carter was about to unveil. He shot up out of the chair he was sitting in, his eyes flashed black. Carter wisely interpreted Jak's message to shut the fuck up before it was too late. "-Your guardian."

Shayera rolled her eyes again and sat in the lawyer's chair, propping up her feet on the man's desk, no shame or respect at all. Jak took her in. She was just so small and her hands were bruised and scared. What could have happened to her?

"Your mother chose this man to take care of you. If he was worthy of your mother's trust than he must be worthy of your trust," Carter tried to reason with the teenager. Shayera looked like she was barely paying attention.

"Don't act so prissy, little girl!" Daxter jumped on the desk. "We ain't so bad once you get to know us,"

Shayera screamed and fell back off the chair. "The rat talks!" She squeaked. Jak laughed lightly.

"This is my best friend Daxter," Jak spoke as Daxter hopped back onto Jak's shoulder. Daxter hissed at Shayera like a cat.

"You're friends with a rat?" Shayera popped her head out from behind chair and glared. "It's not fair. Why am I stuck with you?"

"Shayera!" Carter snapped.

"If you knew my mother, why hasn't she ever mentioned you?" Shayera leaned in, trying to look intimidating but her scrunched up nose just made her look adorable.

"We've been friends with your momma for years! Quit being so combative!"Daxter yelled in her face.

"I was talking to the tall one! Go eat garbage, rat!" Shayera yelled right back.

"Who are you calling a rat, you little cretin!"

"You orange piece of -"

"ENOUGH!" Jak shouted over the both of them. "How is it that you two are already this annoying?"

Shayea held her breathe. It looked as if she was about to shout out more obscenities. Releasing her breath and relaxing the lines on her face, Shayera simply grabbed her coat off the desk and stomped out of the office. "I just wanna go home," she muttered. She was exhausted, hungry, frustrated, sweaty, and she just got outta prison. Jak grabbed the box of documents and chased after her. She was power walking ahead.

"Hey," Jak called out to her, trying to catch up with her. "So...?" he tried to form conversation.

"I'm the one who asks the questions from now on, dude," Shayera stopped abruptly in the street.

"Does that apply to me? Cuz I wanna know where the heck we live now?" Daxter spat at the girl with attitude.

"Oui? Why are you speaking french, ratboy?" Shayera crossed her arms.

"Hate to break it to you, Shay-baby, but Keira left everything to Jak here-!" Orange lightening hopped from his best friend's shoulder to the girl's. "-including you!"

"My mom left everything to you?" Shayera stood there, mouth agape. She violently swatted Daxter away.

"Apparently," Jak shrugged.

"The apartment and the garage?" she looked so horrified.

"I-I guess," Jak was put off by her swinging mood.

"Ahhh! My life is over!" Shayera dramatically wailed and ran ahead of the heroes again.

Jak and Daxter stood there dumbfounded.

"I never thought you were capable of having a kid with such a great body," Daxter grinned like a fox. Jak promptly slapped the back of his head. Even after all these years, Daxter still thought with his libido rather than his brain. Jak shuddered at the thought. Even he had to admit that she was quite a beauty, but it made his skin crawl since she was his daughter and only fifteen. He was tempted to slap Daxter again.

Jak ran to Shayera's side once again. She was cheerfully talking on her communicator that had a million colorful key chains dangling from it. They walked together for about 20 minutes with only the city sounds and Shayera's conversation as communication. Without looking at him, Shayera wordlessly slipped a security pass into Jak's hand and motioned for him to follow her. She stayed on her communicator the entire walk to Main Town. Jak had never traveled to this section of the city before.

"What's that?" Daxter pointed to a large structure to the left a few miles down.

"What do you mean? You really don't know?" Shayera looked at the pair questionably. When she saw that they were being serious she explained. "That's_ the_ Mar Memorial Stadium. Everyone knows that,"

"Uh, we're new," Jak brushed off her suspicions. "So are we almost there?"

"Yup," Shayera pointed. "It's the building on the right of the stadium. The blue one,"

"The apartment above the garage?" Jak crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, but my mom owned the entire building," The corner's of Shayera's mouth turned down ever so slightly in a frown. "I guess... you own the entire building now huh?" Was she so unhappy?

"You live here?" Jak asked.

"No, _we_ live here," Daxter chimed in. Jak expected for Shayera to counter Daxter but she kept her cool and lead them into the building through the garage without a word.

Jak felt his chest become impossibly tight as he processed his surrounding. Keira was everywhere. In the furniture, the unfinished inventions, her tools haphazardly scattered on every surface, the disassembled vehicles. Rather than the overwhelming depression he expected to feel, Jak found the garage gave him a calming, almost pleasent sense nostalgia. His hand reached out over the counter to pick up a familiar wrench when he felt a sharp pain on his hand.

"Don't touch anything," Shayera frowned at Jak. She slapped his hand!

"What about this?" Daxter hopped off Jak's shoulder and scurried over to the far side of the garage where a large dark green curtain was. "What's behind this?" Daxter reached to pull back the curtains, but Shayera stopped him.

"Don't touch that!" Shayera snapped and yanked Daxter away by the scruff of his fur. "This is my mom's stuff!" Her voice was strained and cracking.

"Okay! Jeez!" Daxter rubbed his neck.

"And that is my mom's secret project," Shayera stood before the green curtain, impersonating a shield. In a mediocre combat stance Jak added. "It's only been a day! Don't go through her things like vultures!" Jak tasted a bit of Shayera's carefully hidden grief for the briefest of moments before she shaded her eyes.

"Sorry Shay," Daxter said sincerely and returned to his proper place atop Jak's shoulder. Shayera didn't break her defensive glare.

"Anyway," Jak's voice broke through the thick tension. "Where are we staying?"

"The apartment upstairs," Shayera whispered. "You don't have a lot with you, right?"

"Just what's on me," Jak gestured to his backpack.

"I'll show you to your rooms," Shayera solemnly spoke.

The apartment above the garage was rather luxurious, an alarming contrast to the slums Jak had become accustomed to. Everything was contemporary with a lavish twist. Not over the top but definitely not poor. Keira was doing fine on her own. Daxter ran ahead into the parlor.

"Wow!" Daxter flopped his little body on top of the black Lazzoni Mony sofa. "This is the way _I_ was destined to live!"

"Oh yeah, you look so natural," Jak smirked at his friend.

"Um," Shayera cleared her throat to get the heros' attention. "There are two extra rooms at the end of the hall. You can decide who gets which one,"

Shayera left the duo alone in her home and retired to her room. Inconceivable music immediately blared. Daxter shrugged and turned on the Panasonic plasma screen. Jak was about to join him on the two seater but Daxter swatted his backside with the remote. He pouted and pointed in the direction of Shayera's bedroom.

"What? I can't relax?" Jak growled, fully aware of what Daxter was implying. He could handle a tank armed with a lethal missiles, but just the thought of speaking with an unpredictable teenage girl frightened him.

"No, you can't," Daxter said sternly. "Go see what's up with her,"

"She obviously wants to be alone," Jak practically spat. He wouldn't be forced.

"A woman never says what she really means," Daxter spat back. "Get in there,"

"What would I even say?" Jak tried to keep his voice even but he was worried that he boarded on desperate.

"I don't know. Figure it out," Daxter's attention went back to televison. "She's your-"

"Don't say it," Jak hissed out. The very word 'daughter' was becoming taboo. Daxter didn't respond but pointed to Shayera's bedroom again. Jak sighed and began the too short trek to Shayera's room.

"See if you can get her to turn off that noise while you're at it," Daxter called.

Jak promptly ignored him. He instead took in his surroundings. What he found the most interesting were the photos. Photos of Shayera from infancy to the present peppered the white walls. He saw her first birthday, her first day of school, and a framed crude drawing of an apple tree marked with an age six in crayon. Jak felt himself smile at a particular photo of an eight year old Shayera with absent front teeth. He marveled at the sight of her natural hair color. Bright blonde with aquamarine lowlights. (A/N: I know it makes no sense and it's not natural but damn it! I want it like that and since this is a fanfic so realism doesn't apply anyway! Bare with me please!) Jak's paranoia that Shayera would discover their connection somewhat dimmed. Shayera resembled her mother throughout her life.

The teen's bedroom door rattled a bit from the pounding music coming from within. Jak knocked sheepishly, unsure if she would even hear him. After a few seconds, the door slowly opened and reveal a pair of bored looking emeralds.

"Hey," her smile seemed like a painful strain. Jak's frown deepened. "Did you need something?"

"No, I just wanted to see if you were alright,"

"Yeah, of course," She fake grinned again and opened the door a little wider, inviting Jak in. Her room was... eccentric. Her furnishing was composed of funky Hellman-Chang pieces. The walls were painted white but were _covered_ in small posters, photos, and clippings from countless magazines, making it difficult to see the white walls in the first place. Colorful little toys hung about, dancing to the vibrations from the outrageous music.

"This is a nice room," Jak awkwardly spoke.

"I was thinking about changing the wallpaper," Shayera clasped her hands behind her back.

"Uh sure," Jak rambled. "How about trees and bunnies and squirrels-"

"Yeah, along with pictures of the disney princess," Shayera said with a sarcastic tone. She jumped on her black wood hayden bed and stretched out her arms as if taking a picture. "Here's what I envision: A giant nuclear mushroom cloud and a bunch of little aliens dancing to techno!"

"That actually sounds pretty good," Jak turned his attention to the stereo and quickly switched it off. He awaited Shayera's objection but it never came. "Who was that?"

"Skrillex," she hopped off her bed. "You don't like him?"

"No," Jak said with a bit of a bite. Was that music nowadays? This really was an awful place. "It makes no sense," He was surprised when she simply giggled at his answer.

"That's what my mom always said," A gentle smile with a hint of sadness.

"So...," Jak touched a photo of Keira on Shayera's wall. "What did your mother do for a living? I mean all this came from just owning a garage?"

"Nah, not really," Shayera shrugged. "Mom's racing team was pretty successful. They won the Class 1 Championship Race and some divisions in the Kras City Grand Championship race a few times. That and her zoomer and communicator models are really popular,"

"Wow, that's pretty impressive,"

"Yeah," Shayera toggled with some contraption on her desk. "There were nights when I would find her in the garage in the middle of the night," She laughed warmly. "She would have an idea and just _have_ to build it or draw up blue prints,"

"That sounds like Keira,"

Shayera crossed the room to her bookshelf.

"Are you a workaholic like her?" The response that Jak received was the sound of plastic breaking. He spun and saw that Shayera had dropped the small machine she was holding, it's casing was completely shattered. Shayera herself slowly drooped to the floor. She clutched at her trembling shoulders and leaned her huddled body against the shelf.

"Shay?" Jak approached her. She sobbed softly into her the crock of her arms.

"She was all I had," Shayera was so quiet Jak could barely hear her. "I-I'm alone now,"

Jak awkwardly placed a hand on her back. He felt how erratic her breathing was. Sighing deeply, Jak guided her to his chest. Shayera accepted his comfort and cried freely into his tunic. Jak slowly stroked her back. They stayed that way for a little while, until Shayera's whimpering became more and more silent. Jak spoke her name softly and was met with dainty snoring. How cute. She had fallen asleep. Jak gently lifted her and placed her in the bed. Her cheeks were raw and caked with dry tears.

Shayera had been smiling all day, acting normal as if nothing happened. Keira had raised her alone. Without Samos and without knowing anything of this new world. There was no other family for her. Jak boldly lowered his lips to the top of her head. He left her alone to sleep.

While Daxter was still enjoying the fruits of Keira's success, Jak slipped into Keira's bedroom. It was rather plain and standard. She expressed her true personality in garage. He took out the photo pf Keira that he had taken from Shayera's room and sat on the bed. Her eyes still held their light.

"Why?" Jak whispered to himself. "You want me to keep her safe and I will because she is all that is left of you," he spoke as if his former lover was beside him, hearing his every word.

A few seconds later, his communicator beeped.


End file.
